From “Watergate” to “Partygate”: the lapidary comparison between Richard Nixon and Boris Johnson

The eyes of much of the British are unblinking. Surprised, they still cannot believe that the man who designed the policies to protect the population and prevent social contacts to avoid spreading the contagion of COVID-19, organize meetings at his official residence: the famous number 10 of Downing Street.

Is that Boris Johnson, 57, the UK Prime Minister, He was in the center of all eyes after the crowded parties he organized in the iconic British house were discovered. “I want to apologize. I know that millions of people in this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months.”were the first words of Johnson before the British Parliament on Wednesday they put an end to their attempts to dodge the issue, leaked in the press since the end of last year.

Despite this desperate attempt to offer forgiveness and feel sorry, the scandal grows in the Kingdom United and the government does not find a decent way out of such a scandal.

In a lucid column published today by The Atlantic and entitled “Boris Johnson’s Watergate“, journalist Tom McTague makes a comparison between the final months of former US President Richard Nixon and the current British Prime Minister whose stumble he calls “Partygate”.

Delving into what happened to the Republican leader in the 1960s and 1970s, McTague highlights: “The Shakespearean drama of Nixon’s slow political suffocation is unlike anything in modern democratic history: a subtle weaving of personal tragedy, human frailty, criminal insanity and natural justice, with an almost made-for-TV denouement. By comparison, Johnson’s Watergate – ‘Partygate’, as it is now known – is cheap, cheap and almost pathetic in its smallness, but with all the same ingredients of tragedy, weakness, madness and natural justice.”.

“However, Johnson does not have to commit a “high crime or misdemeanor” to be forced out of office. The key to remember is that Britain, unlike the United States, is a parliamentary system, which means that a prime minister is only as powerful as his or her command in the House of Commons and, by extension, his or her party.”, explained the author.

McTague, also emphasizes that “Johnson’s only hope at the moment is that he can persuade his party to hold the line until the onslaught is over and pray no further revelations come to light. But for Johnson, as for Nixon before him, the reality is that he is no longer in control.”.

“Like Watergate, Partygate reveals character traits that have long defined Johnson but, until the scandal, were seen as irrelevant or even positive when it came to Brexit. Now, applied to the pandemic, they are considered disqualifying”, concluded the columnist of The Atlantic.

The request for forgiveness

This Wednesday was key for the conservative politician. Johnson He had no choice but to admit that he was at a party organized in the gardens of Downing Street during confinement and said he believed it was a work meeting.

The prime minister’s appearance was highly anticipated following fresh revelations that he and his top officials breached covid restrictions by hosting a cocktail party, and as damning headlines of the press and public anger grows.

“I know the heartbreak they’ve been through: unable to mourn their families, unable to live their lives the way they want or do the things they love. I know the anger you feel with me and with the government I lead when you think that in Downing Street the people who make the rules do not follow them correctly (…) I must take responsibility”, the premier said.

This Wednesday the newspapers had echoed the rebellion in the conservative caucus, whose support for Johnson is in doubt. The Times Title: “Ask forgiveness or condemn us all, ministers tell Johnson”. The doubt will now fall on whether he maintains control of the party, as he raises McTague or his fate is sealed.

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